The soaring demand for network data and services throughout the globe has steadily fueled the evolution of networking technologies, as engineers and manufacturers rush to keep pace with the changing data and service consumption landscape. Various network technologies and application services have been deployed in networks precisely to meet this soaring demand for network data and services. However, while this advancement in network technologies has allowed networks to support such increased demand for network data and services, it has also resulted in larger and more complex environments, involving massive amounts of traffic data constantly being routed through the various elements in the network. Yet as the amount of traffic handled by the network grows, it becomes increasingly important to ensure efficient and redundant traffic forwarding and service provisioning strategies. Unfortunately, current solutions are prone to errors, delays, and poor quality of service, particularly in the larger, more complex environments.